A personal view of some of London’s West End pubs and clubs.

Pubs... Pubs... Pubs... Pubs...

Village, The

Busy trendy pub with almost exclusively gay male crowd (less so during day). L shaped downstairs with main bar and coffee bar, small upstairs bar. Crowded most evenings, nice place to drop-in during the day (especially upstairs).

Comptons

Recently refitted (though you wouldn’t notice). Has retained much of its’ spit and sawdust image. Two floors. Exclusively gay male crowd, wide age range, mustache helpful but not essential. Perfect for unpretentious drinking.

Yard, The

Young crowd, male and female, mainly gay (some straight friends). Trendy but relaxed. On two floors, tables and open courtyard downstairs, leather sofas and standing room upstairs. Crowded most evenings, very nice in summer.

79CXR

Large bar with balcony, reasonably priced drinks (especially house doubles). Mainly gay male crowd, wide age range. Good place to meet friends, gets very crowded at weekends. Met my boyfriend here one Sunday afternoon so guess I can’t complain. Have heard things about the toilets but haven’t experienced.

Brief Encounter

Oh well now, yes, "The Brief".. There was a time when this place was known as Jurassic Park, the sort of place you’d go when you were at a low ebb and wanted to see that there are people worse off than you..
However Brief Encounter has changed, the average age has plummeted so that there is now quite a mix (gay male). Gets very crowded (especially downstairs - basement). Not my first choice but fine if you’re passing.

Kudos

My pet hate I’m afraid! Full of pretentious queens dressed in chain store clothes, smothered in fake tan and full of attitude! The bar staff are the same only with fewer clothes.
The basement bar offers a large video screen, cheap drinks during the day and is marginally more bearable than the ground floor bar. Take care if you’re ending your evening here, last drinks sold at 11pm, by 11.05 the management are trying to throw you out! Bearable during the day, awful at night! Avoid!

½ Way to Heaven

A stones throw from Kudos, half way between Trafalgar Square and the night club Heaven (hence the name). Well worth visiting, good honest pub. Reasonable prices, good music, nothing to cause offense here. Mainly gay men (all ages), some lesbians (mainly couples). Great place to meet friends before going on or for a quick drink during the day.

Edge, The

On the edge of Soho Square, just off Oxford Street The Edge is well positioned. The ground floor bar can get crowded, as can the second floor bar, the third floor bar (take your oxygen) is rarely too full and in my opinion the best of the lot. Nice place to go with friends, a little expensive and pretentious but nothing we can’t handle.

Kings Arms, The

If you haven’t got a long droopy mustache don’t go in unaccompanied, they might hit you with their handbags! Again honest and down to earth, older gay male crowd. If clone is what you want then this is definitely the place to be, busy but not overly crowded. Just leave your sequined stockings outside.

Back Bar

Relatively new (where the old Piano bar used to be). Mixed gay/straight male/female, mainly under 40 but no-one would feel out of place. Good place to stop for a drink but no real charm.

Bar Code

Relatively new, stylish design. Not much atmosphere, give it time. It’s location in Archer Street (between the main "drag" of Old Compton Street and Picadilly Circus station) guarantees its popularity. The upstairs bar is often very busy, not so downstairs. Worth a visit.

Clubs... Clubs... Clubs... Clubs...

Heaven

The most famous London night club, on lots of floors with all sorts of things going on, very busy. Usually full (especially on Saturdays). Gay and lesbian crowd with some straight friends (not on Saturdays).
Very touristy, not my cup of tea but popular with many people. Check out the star bar.
Drinks fairly expensive, entrance on the high side (cheaper if you take a flyer from gay press).

G.A.Y.

Now this is more me! Gay/lesbian, mainly young (though being a little older doesn’t exclude you). Monday and Thursday nights in the Astoria 2, quite a big club, two levels, good feel to it, but..
Saturday at the Astoria is something else. The Astoria used to be a theater, the ground floor (which would once have been seating) contains a bar and large dance floor, the stage is used for the more extrovert to spill over onto (also where the live PAs appear - you haven’t lived ‘till you’ve seen Lilly Savage dressed in a leopard skin cat suit descend from the roof on a satin covered bed singing "It had to be you"!).
The "bean bag bar" is between the ground floor and the balcony, with no dance floor or direct access to the main dance floor it’s quieter and more relaxed, a few bean bags are scattered around the place for anyone in need of a rest.
The balcony has its own bar looking down at a steep angle over a terrace of tables each with its own coloured lamp. Half the tables play host to couples or groups sitting and drinking whilst looking down over the long drop to the dance floor and lighting display below, the other half are taken up by half clad disco dykes and queens dancing their hearts out.
Drinks fairly expensive, entrance not too bad (cheaper if you take a flyer from gay press). If you want a fun night out that’s strictly handbag.. this is for you. Check out the web page (listed under Queer Links).

Sub Station Soho

Down to earth with a bump! Metal cages, heavy music, dark corners, pin ball machines and you take your life (or at least your honor) in your hands when using the toilets! If you want seedy amongst the corrugated iron then this is definitely the place to be.
Drinks not too expensive, entrance fee positively cheap!

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